But he
had this advantage over the others: he thought he could divine and
explain the reason of this sudden, seemingly incomprehensible
terror. "The poor woman has been betrayed," he thought; "her son
is here!" Still, while the other players crowded around their
hostess, he did not leave the card-table. He was sitting opposite
M. de Coralth, and he had seen the dashing viscount start and
change color. His suspicions were instantly aroused, and he
wished to verify them. He therefore pretended to be more than
ever absorbed in the cards, and swore lustily at the deserters who
had broken up the game. "Come back, gentleman, come back," he
cried, angrily. "We are wasting precious time. While you have
been trifling there, I might have gained--or lost--a hundred
louis."
He was nevertheless greatly alarmed, and the prolonged absence of
Madame d'Argeles increased his fears each moment. At the end of
an hour he could restrain himself no longer. So taking advantage
of a heavy loss, he rose from the table, swearing that the beastly
turmoil of a few moments before had changed the luck. Then
passing into the adjoining drawing-room, he managed to make his
escape unobserved. "Where is madame?" he inquired of the first
servant he met.
"In the little sitting-room."
"Alone?"
"No; a young gentleman is with her."
The baron no longer doubted the correctness of his conjectures,
and his disquietude increased.
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